Live for the Moment
by Samgirl16
Summary: After a harsh goodbye at 17, Arnold and Helga meet again at the age of 29. Rated M for mature content and language. RR please. COMPLETE
1. Goodbyes and New Beginnings

Disclaimer: I do not own "Hey Arnold". Duh.

Chapter 1 

It was no great surprise to Helga when she and Arnold broke up for the third time in the same year. They were always fighting about something or another, always testing each other's limits. If anything, Helga tried to make him mad about 90 percentof the time. To this day, she still didn't know why.

They were 16 when they started their romance and 17 when it all ended. It began with a simple walk in the park and a vow to be kinder and ended with a few shouted obscenities and unseen mascara tears. The day that Arnold walked away, Helga began packing ice around her heart (again) and becoming more introverted than she had ever been before.

Arnold, on the other hand, bounced back so quickly he nearly gave himself whiplash. Hell, he gave **Helga** whiplash just watching him. He began dating the school's primetime slut, none other than Lila. That lasted a week. He got laid once, she got bored twice, and there he was, single again. He began to think back on the good times with Helga, but they were quickly overshadowed by the not-so-good times.

Helga didn't even bother looking back on anything. She didn't see the point. She shredded all her pictures of Arnold and burned all the letters he ever sent her, and thus, moved on. She determined within herself to never, ever, EVER look back at her relationship with Arnold, good times or bad, lest she turn into a sentimental dunderhead (that was her new favorite word, along with "asinine") or become angry enough to spontaneously combust. The point is, she was focused on neither the past nor the future, but strictly on the present. "Live for the moment", she always said, "otherwise, you become an old, asinine dunderhead." Did I mention those were her favorite words?

At the end of the senior year, the gang graduated Hillwood and split up, in search of different colleges, different jobs, different lives. Helga eventually became a freelance novelist, with two bestsellers to her name, each reaching #3 on the New York Times List. Her life's goal so far was to have at least one #1 best-selling book. She originally took up residence in Arizona and later moved up to Montana and somewhere between the two, found herself in Eastern Tennessee. "Lord knows I'm a traveling woman", she told Phoebe (who she still remained in touch with constantly) over the phone one night.

Arnold became a journalist for the Hillwood Chronicles, critiquing many new books that entered the market in his small but noticeable column. He also painted in his spare time, but sold very few paintings. Not because they were bad, just because he was somewhat attached to them, each new painting representing and meaning something new to him. He had reviewed Helga's books in past issues of his column and despite their history together, each book had received only shining praise from him. They were, after all, quite good. They had unusual depth, consistent and good-hearted humor, and yet had a small string of melancholy woven in them from beginning to end. He loved them.

Aside from her novels, Arnold knew nothing about what Helga was up to these days nor did she know anything of him. They were as distant as two earth plates, that had drifted as far away from each other as possible. He, although 29 years of age, continued to reside in the exact same neighborhood he grew up in, though he lived in a small apartment three buildings down from the boarding house. He'd heard that Helga was somewhere out West...or was she in the Southeast? He wasn't entirely sure. Well, is she was anywhere, she was somewhere and that's true of all us.

All Arnold knew was that he thought of her every passing day, especially when he was painting. He hoped that someday they would meet again, but the odds were that they wouldn't. Until the fateful the day that Helga decided to come back into town to collect her old books of poetry from her old house.

Maybe fate intended something remarkable to occur between them. Or maybe it didn't. One thing for certain, Arnold was determined to see Helga at least once before she left town again.


	2. Old Friends, Same Memories

For disclaimer, see chapter one. But in case you're too lazy to go back, I still don't own "Hey Arnold!" and probably never will, unless I become a multi-millionaire by June. Don't count on it.

Chapter 2 

Helga sat behind the wheel of her recently-bought Toyota Camry, staring straight ahead at the road in front of her. As the road directly in front of her melded into the road she had seen afar off, she encountered a sign that read "Welcome to Hillwood". She sighed tensely. "Why did I come back here?" _ To get your old things. You need some new inspiration, _she reminded herself.

And she really did need it. It had been almost two months since she had written a chapter for her soon-to-be-finished novel entitled "The Legacy". She figured that by getting her old poetry books, she could recapture the aura of profound inspiration that had shaken her when she had first written those early works. Yeah, that was why.

But there was also the issue of Arnold. "I am not coming back into town just to see him!" she argued to the air that hung above her. _Liar. _"Oh, shut up!" she yelled at her inner voice, as if it were an invisible entity sitting in the seat beside her. But even she knew that what she said (or rather, what her internal self said) was true. She had missed Arnold greatly. They hadn't spoken in about twelve years. To be absent of the one who was once a great part of her life was, at the very least...painful. Yeah, the breakup had been mostly her fault. She had yelled at him, called him things she hadn't meant, and had pretty much told him to just drop off the face of the earth because she wouldn't care. But she did. She still did.

A bit of time had passed while she'd been pondering these things. She drove by a couple of buildings before reaching her old street. She parked her car along the sidewalk and stepped out, slightly invigorated by the September chill in the air. She yawned, stretched her weary muscles, and was just about to step on to her old stoop when she heard a shrill cry.

"HELGA!"

Helga whipped around in time to see Phoebe running towards her. Grinning, she ran and wrapped the small Asian woman in a fierce hug. "Oh, my God, Phoebe! I had no idea you were in town!" she said before letting her go.

Phoebe smiled. "Well, when you told me you were coming back to Hillwood, I couldn't just stay in Tokyo! So I grabbed Gerald, told him we were going back to New York on vacation, he whined, I booked the flight, and here I am!"

"Man, you sure have him whipped", Helga commented.

"Not entirely. He's back at the hotel, watching TV. Couldn't talk him into coming outside for a walk with me."

"Well, you'll get there. So, are you the only one that knows I'm here?" Helga asked, hoping for a "yes", but also hoping for a "no".

"Umm, not exactly."

"Hey, Helga."

Helga turned around slowly at the sound of that voice. Standing before her ever-so-complacently was the main reason she'd come back to town. Arnold.


	3. A Day Together

Chapter 3 

Helga stood in front of Arnold, neither saying a word for almost five minutes straight, before Phoebe cleared her throat loudly. Having been snapped out of her trance by her friend's pseudo-phlegm, Helga managed an awkward smile and said, "Hey, Footba- Arnold. How are you doing?"

Arnold smiled back, his smile as cool as hers was shaky. "Fine. You?" Helga racked her brain for something clever and witty to say. "Uhhh...good" was all she could come up with.

Phoebe stood there, unsure of what to say. Finally, she decided to leave the two alone so they could work out their issues together. After making up some excuse about needing to be back at the hotel with Gerald, she hugged her two friends and left them. The two adults remained silent towards each other until Helga broke the ice.

"Look, I've gotta go in and get some stuff, so if you don't mind—" Helga began.

"Oh, no problem, Helga. I'll help you."

(A few hours later)

"Well, that's the last box", Helga said, setting the large cardboard object in the back of her car. "Listen, thanks for helping me, Arnold. It really went a lot faster with your help."

It was true. For the past hour and a half, Helga and Arnold had carried box after box of poetry out to the car, talking almost the whole time. They had even taken a couple of breaks just so they could sit in the kitchen and drink coffee with each other. Bob and Miriam were gone for the day, so they'd been alone in the house. Helga had to admit it'd been nice to be alone with Arnold after all the years of silence between them.

Now they stood by the car, silent once again, neither wanting to go their separate ways again. Arnold had really loved talking with Helga all day and was reluctant to see her go. All day, there had been no insults, no taunts, no cutting remarks directed at him. They hadn't even brought up the past. Which was one of the reasons Arnold wanted—no, **needed**—to see her again. He wanted to have the chance to sit down with her, just the two of them, and talk about what happened all those years ago. True, they had been alone today, but he hated to spoil their fairly high-spirited reunion with talk of their unpleasant last days together. No, he had wanted to keep the mood light, for he hadn't been sure if he would ever see her again. But now he knew that he absolutely had to see her again. No matter what.

"Well, dude, it's been a blast, but I gotta get on the road", Helga said, not showing the slightest bit of emotion. That was Helga for you. Whenever she felt the slightest emotion that made her seem vulnerable, she tried to cover it with casualty or toughness.

"Helga, don't go. I…I want to spend more time with you. Y'know, talk a little more", Arnold said. Helga considered reminding him that they had talked all day, but didn't because she knew what he really meant.

"How about we go out for dinner tonight?" Arnold suggested. "You can get a hotel room and stay in town for a couple more days. We'll start off with dinner tonight, and then we can spend a couple more days with each other…if that's what you want."

It was what Helga wanted more than anything else. She opened her mouth to say so, but stopped herself quickly. She still wanted to at least appear as the strong one in this non-existent relationship that threatened to take root between them. Putting her hand over her mouth, she faked a yawn.

"Sure, Arnold. Whatever works for ya. I'll getta room, we'll go out, sounds fucking fantastic", she said.

Arnold inwardly winced, but not at any sarcasm he perceived. He winced because today, Helga had seemed so open. Now she was pretending to not care. He was wise to her game. He wished that for once, she would open up to him and stay that way. He didn't want her to change who she was. God knew he loved that smart-ass, overly cynical, you-only-wish-you-had-me side of her. But sometimes, he wanted to see a bit less of that and more of that emotional, loving, downright beautiful person he knew she could be, when given the right moment.

"Okay, great. How about the new Italian restaurant 'Vincenzo's?'" Arnold said. "You do still like Italian food don't you?"

"Yeah, I love it. Okay then. I'll meet you there at say….7:00?"

"Seven's good. I'll be at the table reserved under my last name."

_Hmmm, his last name, huh? That'll only be the bloody mystery of the Sphinx to figure out, _Helga joke with herself. She had learned his last name years ago, but still had to comment about its elusiveness now and then; even if the comment was just to herself.

"Great. Wouldn't miss dinner with you for the whole fucking world", Helga said, hopping into her car. Arnold sighed and rolled his eyes at her too-awesomely-bad persona. Yeah, they were adults, and they could use whatever language they preferred, but he knew that so much of her "badness" was still a persona.

Helga waved goodbye and drove away, leaving Arnold alone with his thoughts. Checking his watch, he realized he only had four hours to prepare for his dinner with Helga tonight. He jogged back home, anticipating the evening that lay before him.


	4. Night at Vincenzo's

A/N: Sorry I haven't updated in a while. I've been pretty busy and I sorta forgot I had a fic to update! But here's chapter four. Enjoy!

Disclaimer: If I've told you people once, I've told you a thousand times I DO NOT OWN HEY ARNOLD! 'Kay?

Chapter 4 

Arnold sat at the table in Vincenzo's, eagerly anticipating Helga's arrival. He'd been looking forward to their "date" all day. Well, all afternoon really. He'd just seen her four hours ago. But still, tonight was a big occasion for him. He hadn't been out on a date in a couple of months. Come to think of it, he hadn't been with a woman in quite a few months. Not that he expected that kind of thing to happen between him and Helga tonight. After all, while it was true that he was attracted to her and possibly even harbored feelings for her, it was a pretty safe bet that she harbored no such feelings and/or fancies for him. At least, that's what he told himself. Didn't wanna get too confident in their ever-fragile relationship. It had only been a day.

Ten minutes passed and Arnold ordered himself a drink to keep from getting too antsy over Helga's tardiness. He was just finishing the liquor when he saw Helga walking towards the table. Immediately, his jaw attempted dropping (he restrained it from fully falling so he wouldn't look like an idiot).

Helga looked amazing. She was wearing a sexy black dress that fell a little past mid-thigh, accentuating every curve of her body. The front was low-cut enough to expose cleavage, but not so much that she looked like a tramp. In fact, she looked quite sophisticated. Her long blonde hair, which had been in a somewhat sloppy ponytail earlier, now swept past her shoulders in soft waves. And her face looked absolutely beautiful, even though it sported a very minimal amount of make-up.

"Hey", she said almost breathlessly as she sat down beside him. "Sorry I'm late. I had a hell of a time trying to get here. Would you believe I got pulled over by a cop for speeding? Now I've gotta pay this bogus ticket just because I went three miles over the speed limit. Three miles!"

Arnold wasn't sure exactly how attentive he looked. At the moment, his mind was swept up in about a zillion images of himself and Helga. He and Helga walking through the park on a beautiful spring day, he and Helga sipping champagne while watching the sun set over the ocean, he and Helga walking down the aisle, he and Helga making love—

"Uh, Arnold? Are you okay?" Helga asked, arching one slim eyebrow in his direction. Ever since her freshman year of high school, she'd kept them tweezed. "It's like you haven't heard a word I've said!"

Arnold blinked, clearing the images and jolting his mind back to reality. "Yeah, I'm fine, Helga. Just a little…um…y'know…"

Helga noticed the glass he held in his hand. "Geez, how many of those have you had, Football Head?"

"Only one, thank you very much! I'm just a little…spacey."

"I'll say", she said, this time arching her other eyebrow.

The waiter and they placed their orders. As they waited upon their salad and pasta, they talked a lot about the past and some of the things they'd done together. They revisited every positive memory they could think of; their first kiss, their first date, the prom, the first time they had sex….they touched on every occasion except for their biggest and final fight. For the time being, they wanted to keep the conversation light and happy, rather than touch on some of their darkest hours together in the past.

All in all, they enjoyed the evening. The food was good, the atmosphere friendly, and the wine gave them a pleasant buzz without being overly intoxicating. Since Helga was a little tipsy, Arnold offered to drive her back to his place for a little nightcap (as if she needed one). It was really just an excuse to get Helga alone, but not for the reasons most guys wanted to be alone with their dates for. Mostly, he just wanted to talk to Helga about the past, find out what had really caused their big break-up. After all, the actual causes of the separation were still a bit fuzzy.

So it was with that, that Arnold paid the check and took Helga home, driving her car of course, because Arnold had taken a cab to the restaurant. The night to come was to be one of new revelations and bigger twists of fate than either had expected. Or perhaps it wasn't as dramatic as it seemed to be. They both were a little light-headed.


	5. Promise

Chapter 5 

The pair arrived at Arnold's place shortly after midnight. The apartment Arnold lived in wasn't very big, but it had the essentials, including a spare bedroom, which Arnold stored his paintings. A few paintings by Picasso and Vincent van Gogh hung on the walls in the hallway and in the living room, but none of his own were hanging anywhere. To hang up his own paintings seemed kinda egotistical to Arnold.

"Wow, nice place ya got here, Football Head!" Helga exclaimed. She was still a little fuzzy, having had a wee bit too much wine. She wasn't a complete wreck and not exactly what you would call drunk, but she wasn't exactly sober either. If there was anything she inherited from her mother (besides her golden blonde hair), it was a low tolerance for alcohol. At that point in time, she was the exact definition of the word "tipsy".

"I'll go make us some coffee, okay?" Arnold said, excusing himself to the kitchen. Helga sat on the light blue couch in the living room and looked around. The decor in the room had been done mostly in light and medium hues of blue. There were a few touches of black here and there, and even some slight hues of light yellow in the drapes and such. The floor was wooden and underneath the coffee table, a rectangular rug (patterned with blue and black squares) stretched out. Helga admired a copy of van Gogh's "Starry Night" that hung on a wall adjacent to the small entertainment center to her right. "Arnold must have decorated this place himself. He always was very creative", she said to herself.

Arnold returned a few minutes later carrying two mugs of hot coffee. "I didn't put any cream in your coffee. Is that alright?" Arnold asked, offering a dark blue mug to her. "Sure, that's fine", Helga said, accepting the steaming Java. "I like my coffee black, especially when I'm hammered", she joked, grinning at Arnold as he sipped his coffee from a pine green mug. He grinned back as soon as he swallowed. "You must drink a lotta coffee then."

They laughed over that and conversation progressed naturally. They started off with small talk and eventually wound up talking about the past again.

"And remember that time Gerald passed out in Rhonda's parent's bedroom at that wild party she threw during senior year?" Helga remembered.

"Yeah, and Rhonda forgot he was there!" Arnold hooted.

"And when her parents showed up the next morning, there Gerald was sprawled out in the floor--"

"--in the midst of about twenty Kentucky Fried Chicken buckets--"

"--and over thirty wrapped condoms!"

They both laughed hysterically over that one. "Guess poor Gerald didn't get lucky that night", Helga assumed. Arnold took another sip of coffee and placed the now-empty mug on the coffee table...under a coaster, of course.

"Nope, he sure didn't. He went to the hottest party of the year and all he got was a lecture, a hangover, and grounded for about a month", Arnold answered.

"We, on the other hand, had a pretty damn fantastic time after the party."

"Yeah, we did. We drove to the beach, I told you how gorgeous you looked, we made love under all those stars--"

"I got sand in my crotch! That really sucked", Helga said, making a face of disgust.

"Well, thank you for ruining the moment."

"I didn't think there was a moment to be ruined."

Arnold rolled his eyes and stretched his arms out so that one arm oh-so-casually landed around Helga's shoulders. This time Helga rolled her eyes. "Geez, if you wanted to put your arm around me, why didn't you just say so? No need for all that pretense, Football Head."

"And yet another moment ruined. A new record for you, Helga."

"Meanwhile, I notice your arm is still draped over me."

"What can I say? You're hard to resist."

They continued like that for a few more minutes, each trading witticisms and corny euphemisms until actual conversation resumed. They spent another fifteen minutes or so in the past until Arnold finally got the guts to touch on that sensitive memory they'd both been consciously avoiding.

"Helga, why did we break up?" he asked. Helga chewed her lip nervously for a moment, searching for the right words. "Well…I'm not really sure. I remember we argued all the time, and at one point, you developed kind of a wandering eye and…I don't know, I guess that we just had an unstable relationship. We were just kids at the time."

They sat silently, both seeing in their mind's eye the night of their painful break-up.

(Flashback)

"Arnold, cut the crap, okay? I know you've been screwing around with Lila!" Helga screamed at Arnold. They were sitting in his room at the boarding house. His grandparents (God bless them, they were nearly 100 and still kickin' it) had gone to bed for the evening and most of the boarders had gone out that night. They were virtually alone. "I'm not 'screwing' anyone, Helga! You're the only girl I've been with. Lila is not even in the picture!" Arnold yelled.

"Oh, yeah? Then how come I saw you two making out at her party last week? What was that all about, Football Head?" Helga said, straining to keep her cool, but nonetheless giving into the fury that seethed inside of her. "We were drunk, Helga! DRUNK!" Arnold yelled again, beginning to lose his oddly shaped head. "Oh, whadiya know. Mr. Goodie-Two-Shoes who ALWAYS does the right thing no matter what got drunk at a party. Excuuuuse me!" Helga taunted.

"Nobody's perfect. I made a mistake. I kissed her, but I didn't sleep with her. I swear I didn't!" Arnold defended. He reached out to touch her, but she swatted it away and began pacing the room like a caged animal. "Helga, you're the only one for me. I don't want to be with anybody else. That's a promise." Helga stood still for a moment and said nothing. She appeared to be contemplating everything he'd just said.

And she was. At the moment, she was on an emotional roller coaster. She loved Arnold, wanted to believe him, wanted to be his for the rest of her life. That was all she'd wanted since the tender age of four, even if she hadn't been able to understand those feelings way back then. But he had broken her heart. How could she trust him anymore? If you couldn't trust on sweet, nice, decent Arnold, what boy could you trust? She didn't want to be disappointed again, had faced too much of it in the past. Her heart couldn't take much more hurt.

"Helga? Did you hear me?" Arnold asked. Helga snapped out of her trance-like state and focused her vision on Arnold. Sweet, cute Arnold, in his slightly modified yet still boyish blue and green room. She wanted to forget what happened, take him in her arms, and…

And in her mind's eye, she saw herself opening the bedroom door in slow motion, only to find that same Arnold and the school slut herself practically gnawing at each other's faces. Her heart broke all over again at the mere memory of it. Pain soon turned anger, anger turned to rage, and inside of her, something snapped.

"FUCK YOU!" she screamed. Arnold blinked. This was not what he had expected. "I don't give a damn about your fucking promises, 'Arnoldo'! You and you whore Lila can do whatever the hell you please now because I don't give flying fuck!" With that, she ripped off the quartz-crystal promise ring he'd give her just a month ago, threw it at his head, and then stormed out the door. Arnold dodged the free-flying silver and crystal item and followed Helga down the trapdoor stairs.

"Helga, WAIT!" he screamed, but it was too late. She slammed the door and went flying down the street in the direction of her house. Arnold slumped against the wall and sighed. It was over.

For the next week, Helga's answering machine was filled with messages from Arnold. They were deleted. Every note he stuffed in her locker was shredded. Every picture Helga had of him and her together was tossed. Well, except one. The sole survivor of the picture-ditching campaign was a shot of her and Arnold standing in front of her locker. Arnold was standing behind her, his arms wrapped around her, and she was holding onto his arms from the front. They were both grinning like they hadn't a care in the world. On the back, Arnold had written, "I love you, Helga. Please tell me you feel the same way. Love always, Arnold" and had passed it to her at lunch. That was the day they first said, "I love you" to each other. Needless to say, she couldn't bring herself to dispose of that particular photo.

(Present time)

They sat quietly, having just relived the awful episode in the past that had caused severe ramifications in their lives. "Wait a second. There's something I've gotta get", Arnold said, getting up from the couch and going into the master bedroom. When he returned, he had his hand clenched and at his side. "Here", he said, sitting down next to her and opening his hand. "This is yours."

Helga couldn't believe it. In his hand was the exact same promise ring that she had chucked at his head on the night of the bedroom. "Wow, you still have it", she said, taking it from his palm. She smiled and slipped it on her finger. Arnold grinned. "I always knew that we'd meet up again. And I figured that I bought it for you, and you should have it back. Even if you did try to assassinate me with it."

They both laughed and looked into each other's eyes. Slowly, their grins dissolved and they found themselves leaning in closer. Helga was so close to Arnold's face that she could hear his quickening breathing and almost swore she could hear his heart pounding until she realized it was hers. Arnold searched Helga's clear blue eyes, trying to read her thoughts. Her pupils dilated and her lips parted almost simultaneously. He knew this was what she wanted.

They met in an open-mouthed and hungry kiss and succumbed to the throes of passion they'd found themselves treading dangerously close to since the moment they'd laid eyes on each other that day.


	6. Morning After

Disclaimer: I don't own it. I can't afford a necklace from Paula Abdul's jewelry line so I know FOR SURE that I can't afford "Hey Arnold!" Chicken feet.  

A/N: Pretty hot stuff in this chapter. For mature audiences only.

Chapter 6 

Helga awoke the next morning with a splitting headache. Groggy and grainy-eyed, she massaged her temples gently and tried to fully wake up. She started to get up and head to the bathroom when she realized she was on the wrong side of the bed. All her life, she had slept on the left and today she was on the right. She frowned slightly. As she looked around the room, her frown grew. She didn't have a bedroom like this. That was when she saw Arnold sleeping next to her. Still slightly groggy, she tried to remember what had happened the night before.

_Arnold continued to kiss her passionately, exploring her mouth whith his tongue. Helga moaned and began to unbutton his shirt. Groping around her back, Arnold finally managed to find the zipper on Helga's dress. Sliding it down, he began to pull down her dress as Helga removed his shirt--- _

The flash of memory stopped for the time being, and Helga went into the bathroom. There she splashed cold water in her face and located a robe to put over herself. Until she arrived in the bathroom, she hadn't realized she was naked. She used the toilet and then left the bathroom, heading for the kitchen. She was pouring herself a bowl of Wheaties when more flashes of insight into the night before hit her.

_Arnold leaned down and kissed her tenderly. "Are you sure you want this, Helga?" he asked in an almost whisper. "More than anything. Now stop talking or I'll roll us over and then I'll take the top!" Arnold grinned. "Sounds like a win-win situation." He kissed her again, only more forcefully. In mid-kiss, he pushed himself into her, causing her to gasp in his mouth. He began thrusting, establishing a pace for both of them to follow. Minutes later, Helga could feel herself nearing the edge. In another minute, she completely shattered, causing Arnold to come inside her. They both moaned loudly and shared another kiss, which they held until their orgasms slowly wore off. _

Helga stopped chewing for a moment, contemplating the events that had transpired the following evening. She'd slept with Arnold. But what did that mean? Was it just a one-night stand or would there be an actual commitment involved. Typically, she wouldn't have worried too much after such a thing as this. If the guy wanted to commit, more often than not, she'd break off the relationship herself. But this was Arnold. They had such a history together. And frankly, she wasn't sure if she really wanted to dodge commitment this time.

"Morning, beautiful." The sound of Arnold's voice startled Helga out of her thoughts and she dropped her spoon into the bowl with a loud 'clang'. "Good morning, Arnold. Sleep good?" Helga asked as she put the bowl and spoon into the sink. Arnold sat down, clad in an old T-shirt and boxer shorts. He was red-eyed and slightly scruffy-looking, having not shaved yet, but still looked positively delicious. To Helga anyway. "I slept alright. How about you?" he answered. "Fine. Just fine. I'll make us some coffee."

Arnold sat there quietly as she made the coffee. Upon waking up, he had remembered everything that had taken place the night before. He knew that after an event like that, he was one hundred percent certain that he was in love with Helga. He wanted to start over again. But did she? After all, it was a big step in their lives.

His thoughts were interrupted by a blue cup of coffee landing in front of him, meeting the wooden table with a 'clack'. Helga sat across from him at the round kitchen table and sipped her coffee. The clock on the wall ticked and tocked seemingly louder than usual. Outside, a golden retriever barked at a taxi speeding down the street. The Jolly Olly Man's twenty year-old son drove up and down the street, peddling ice cream to a musical chiming that radiated from the speakers inside the truck. A bird flew into the kitchen window, momentarily startling the coffee-swilling couple. Water dripped in the sink faucet.

Just as Arnold grew certain that he was teetering on the brink of his sanity due to the conflict of the silence and turbulance in his world, Helga spoke. "Arnold, about what happened last night. It was really incredible, but…is that where we're going to leave it? It was just a one-night thing, wasn't it? Or do you feel differently? What's going on?"

Arnold closed his eyes briefly, trying to gather his emotions and put them in an intelligible arrangement of words and sentences. "Helga, I don't want it to just be a one-night stand. I don't know if I'm quite ready to start a whole new serious relationship yet, but I don't want you to walk out that door. Not like this. We can't run away from each other like we did twelve years ago. Something wonderful happened last night and we need to face up to it."

Things got quiet again as Helga took everything he said into consideration. Once again, Arnold became acutely aware of the incessant menagerie of noises just outside his kitchen walls. Right as he was finding that brink again, Helga spoke up again.

"You're right, Arnold. We can't walk away from this. Pardon my cliché, but this is bigger than the both of us. I don't want to leave you behind again. Not when there's so much…affection in my heart for you."

Arnold smirked. "Affection, Helga?"

Helga smiled. "Alright, I'll admit it. I love you. And not in the goofy teenage way either. I mean I really love you and everything you've brought to my life since I've known you."

"Like what?"

"Friendship, goodness, compassion, stability, and pain. But no rose is without thorns, and sometimes you need rain to make a flower grow. God, would you listen to me? Any more of this gooey crap and I'm gonna cut my own tongue out!"

Arnold grinned. "Better get used to it, Helga. I'm thinking there's gonna be a lot more 'gooey crap' between us in the future." He leaned across the table and kissed Helga warmly. They broke the liplock and looked into each other's eyes for a moment. Life seemed to make more sense when reflected in the other's eyes.

"Now, what say you take me in that blue bedroom of yours and apologize for makin' me spout off all that uncharacteristic sentimentality?" Helga asked, or rather, commanded. A hint of mischief and seduction glinted in her eyes and suddenly he couldn't feel his toes…or his calves…or thighs for that matter. Helga winked at him and all missing feeling in the lower half of his body returned with a vengeance. Leaping up from the chair, he grabbed Helga's hand and together they ran into the bedroom, Helga giggling and Arnold panting.

Life was good…and getting better all the time.


	7. And Baby Makes Three

A/N: Extremely sorry about the short chapter. Right now, I've gotta million things going on and I don't have as much time to devote to the fic. It's not gonna be too much longer, but I do wanna add a little more to the story before I completely finish it.

Disclaimer: I don't own anything except this fic, my journal, and a chocolate-chip granola bar. Yum.

Chapter 7 

It had been a few months since Arnold and Helga had finally spoken of their love for one another. Helga moved back to New York and in with Arnold. It was a rather tight living space, but not intolerable. Helga managed to convince Arnold to sell some of his paintings and together they built a nest egg, which they planned to use to buy themselves a house someday. Things were going quite well for the two.

On the morning of their six-month anniversary, Helga woke up feeling absolutely crappy. Her head ached, her stomach was sour, and she was in a really bad mood. She walked into the kitchen to find Arnold cooking up fried eggs, French toast, and bacon, the smell of which putrified her. "Morning, baby. Want some breakfast?" he asked, still busying himself over the food. "Oh, God, no! I feel absolutely shitty today. Jesus, I could just puke!" she groaned, slumping into a chair by the table. Arnold scooped out the eggs and put them on a plate near the bacon. "What's wrong, sweetie?" he asked worriedly as he sat down beside her.

"Oh, I don't know. It's just that my stomach is absolutely bitchin' at me today and my head feels like a jackhammer is going through it AND I just wanna...kill something!" she nearly yelled. Arnold frowned. "PMS?" he asked. "That's another thing. I've skipped my period by a whole three weeks. The first week, I thought it was stress, y'know with the new novel I'm working on and everything."

Arnold nodded. Since the release of her novel "Ice Queen", which sold millions of copies AND ranked #2 on the _Times_ best-seller list, Helga had felt pressured to write up the sequel, which was so far only three chapters long. "The second week, I was beginning to get a little edgy, and after the third week, I was waiting for a house to fall on me! I mean, it's pretty obvious what's going on here." Arnold nodded. "Why don't you go out and buy a pregnancy test today? If it says you are, and it sounds like you are, then we'll go to your doctor to get another test done...just to be sure." Helga smiled thinly. "Okay. Wow, we might be parents. Can you believe that? Me and you, Football Head...preggers."

Arnold chuckled. "Stranger things have happened. Well, I've gotta get to work. The_ Chronicles _awaits me. Off to shatter more young novelists with my scathing reviews." Helga rolled her eyes. "Arnold, you're such a Nicey Ned to most of the authors when you review their books."

"I am not! Remember that one guy who wrote that novel _Paging the Angel Gabriel_ ?"

"You mean that piece of fantasy/sci-fi crap?"

"Yeah. Wasn't I tough towards him?"

"Not really. You told him it was alright for a starter novel, but that he would have to raise the bar higher in his next piece of work. I, on the other hand, would've said that it was flamin' shit and to never write another piece of fiction ever again. That's where we differ."

"God, Helga, you're really too tough on people. You're like a female Simon Cowell!"

"And you, Mr. Nicey-Nice, are too sweet to be working as a 'scathing' novel critic. Why do they even keep you on around there anyway?"

"'Cause the editor thinks I'm cute", Arnold grinned, waggling his eyebrows. Again, Helga rolled her eyes. "Alright, get outta here! I've got stuff to do, people to see, and baby detectors to buy. Go on, scram!" Arnold laughed and kissed Helga lightly on the mouth before heading out of the kitchen and towards the front door. "Bye, babe. Love you!", he called. "Love you too!" Helga hollered back. As soon as she heard the door slam, she went back, locked it, and went into the bedroom to get dressed.


	8. Unexpected

A/N: Sorry it took so long. No excuses, just plain laziness. Anyway, this is NOT the final chapter. The chapter after this will be the last one (more like a epilogue than a chapter I guess), but this is just a regular chapter. Enjoy! 

Disclaimer: Not mine, not mine, not mine. Got it? Gracias.

Chapter 8 

Helga stood in the drugstore, looking at different types of pregnancy tests. She had only been shopping for "baby detectors" once before and that had been about five years ago. She was a little unsure of which brand to buy, how much was the right cost, and so on. Finally, she just picked the box that seemed like the most accurate and had a reasonable in-between kind of pricing. She walked up to the register and placed the single item on the counter. The cashier, an old, blue-haired, grandmotherly sort of woman, scanned the box and winked at her. Helga blushed. She paid for her purchase and thanked the cashier, who smiled and wished her good luck.

It was a nice day outside. Sunny, warm, with skies as blue as a robin's egg. It was nice enough for a walk. Arnold had taken her car to work this morning, leaving her to take a cab to the store. Rather than pay for another cab, Helga decided to just walk home. It wasn't far anyway. She started up the street, paper bag in one hand and purse in the other. Her sneakers made a muffled scraping sound on the sidewalk. She smiled. She rather enjoyed this. The feeling of warmth as the sun shone down on her hair and shoulders, the light breeze whispering past her, the knowledge that everything in her world was about to change in the blink of an—

"Excuse me, miss, do you have the time?" a surly looking young man asked, stepping out of a shadowed alley. Helga frowned. This didn't seem right. Nevertheless, she attempted to still seem indifferent. "Um, sorry, I don't wear a watch." She began walking again, at a slightly faster pace. "Hold it!" the man barked. He grabbed her arm and pulled her to him so that she was intensely close to his face. His grip on her tightened, causing her to wince. The stranger grinned. His teeth were yellowed, his chin stubbled, and his breath reeked of beer…and onions.

"Oh, God", Helga thought. "This is how I'm going to die."

(Two hours later, at Arnold's office)

"Hello?" Arnold answered the phone that set on top of his desk.

"Mr. Arnold garbled static?"

"Yes, this is he. How may I help you?"

"It's about your wife, Helga."

"Actually, she's not my—never mind. What's wrong with her?"

"She's been attacked, sir. We have her here at Hillwood Medical Center."

"My, God, is she alright!"

"Calm down, sir, she'll be alright. She's suffered a mild concussion, but other than that, she's perfectly fine, except for a few minor contusions and abrasions."

"Well, how did it happen? Wait, don't answer that. I'll be right there."

Arnold hung up the phone and notified his editor that he was leaving on account of a serious emergency. She nodded and wished him luck as he flew out the door and hailed a cab.

(Twenty minutes later, at Hillwood Medical Center)

"Thank God you're alright, Helga."

Arnold sat next to Helga in Room 312, stroking her back gently. "Geez, take a chill pill, babe. I'm fine. A little banged up, but fine", Helga said, grinning at her lover. "You are such a worrier!" Arnold rolled his eyes. "Dear, you were attacked by a would-be mugger and knocked unconscious for an hour and a half. I would think that of all times, this would be the one to be worried! He could've killed you!"

"But he didn't. Good thing I bought that pepper spray, huh? Even if it did cause him to blindly whack me in the head with a wine bottle. That sucked. But other than that, I came out smellin' like a rose!" Helga nuzzled her head with Arnold's. They were still talking (and cuddling) when a nurse knocked on the door and stepped into their room cautiously.

"I'm sorry if I'm interrupting something, but I have the results of one of your tests", the nurse (whose nametag read "Susan Arbuckle") said rather apologetically.

"It's fine", Arnold said. "What do they say?"

"Well, the concussion won't be causing any long term problems or ailments. You may wake up with a strong headache tomorrow, but a couple of Tylenol will fix that right up. The scratches on your arms show no evidence of an on-setting infection and should heal quite nicely with no complications and--", she paused to check a sheet on her clipboard, "congratulations, you're pregnant! I'll leave you two alone now."

She left, leaving the open-mouthed couple to stare at each other and contemplate what they had just heard. "Okay", Helga began slowly, "my brain is still trying to digest half of that, but I got the last part. Oh, my God. I'm pregnant. I'm freaking pregnant!" She grinned and lunged into Arnold's arms. They hugged, Helga cried (but wouldn't admit it later), and were generally full of happiness…together.

'Together', Helga thought later. Maybe it wasn't such a bad word after all.


	9. Epilogue

A/N: Here it is, the final chapter! Or epilogue or whatever. Anyway, I hope y'all have enjoyed this fic and I promise you, there will be more of my fics in the future. To those of you who loved this work of fanfiction, enjoy! To those of you who hate it but are reading it anyway, breathe a sigh of relief 'cause it's finally over. But just wait until the sequel gets here! Bwahahahahaaaaa! J/K, not planning on a sequel anytime soon. Anyway, that's enough stalling. Here ya go!

But first, a word from the disclaimer.

Disclaimer

Things I own--- a ton of CDs, a paperback of "Pet Sematary" by Stephen King, an awesome silver necklace with heart-shaped pendant, and a fabulous blue fleece hoodie.

Things I would LIKE to own--- my ex-boyfriend's soul (muahahahaaaa!), Paula Abdul's wardrobe ('cept for that dress she wore to the Emmys; she can keep that), one-fourth of Montana, the Magical Flower of Healing and Restoration (no more chest colds ever!), Sheryl Crow's guitar, and Hey Arnold!

Things I will NEVER own regardless of how much I want them--- see list directly above this one.

Epilogue 

The life Helga and Arnold led after their unexpected reunion was a good one. They married shortly after "the hospital incident" and gave birth to their new daughter seven months later. She was named Cheyenne Audrey and had green eyes and the prettiest blonde hair Arnold had ever seen (next to her mother's). Cheyenne was an agreeable baby, a nature so similar to Arnold's, but could be fussy when she wanted to, much like Helga.

Both Helga and Arnold kept their regular jobs. Arnold though, after giving a very on-target review for a New-Agey self-help book, was promoted slightly higher in the office, was given a raise, and there was even talk about giving him his own advice column. He even brought himself to sell a couple of his more recent paintings, which went for pretty good money on Ebay.

Helga wrote an all-new novel entitled "Athene". The reviews were phenomenal and she raked in some nice cash for it. It took her a few sequels before it finally took her to _numero uno_ on The New York Times List, but once she made it, she savored the victory.

Cheyenne, or "Shiny Girl", grew up fast, as kids often do. She was a pretty good kid (most of the time) and never got in any major trouble, although there was one isolated incident in the eighth grade involving the dumping of syrup and feathers on an especially snotty girl who had stolen her best friend's boyfriend. But other than that, she was a real sweetie.

When Helga and Arnold were 36 (and Shiny was a mere first-grader), they gave birth to another child. This time, it was a little blue-eyed boy (named Andrew) with a crop of dusty-blonde hair and a real loud set of lungs. Unlike Cheyenne, he cried a lot, spat up on more than a few occasions (and usuallyall over Arnold's new shirts), and generally tired them out a lot as a toddler. But as he grew, he settled down more. And while he still was a little on the rowdy side, he never actually syrup-and-feathered anyone and thus, was considered an "okay kid" by most of his teachers, liked by his fellow classmates, and loved by his parents and big sister (when she would admit to it).

Life went on. Cheyenne married at the age of 26 ( a nice young man by the name of Garrett Daniels), became a reporter for the Primetime News, and had one daughter named Kaitlyn Irene.

Andrew didn't marry until he was 30 years old. He worked as literature teacher at P.S. 119 for many years, having been inspired by "Old Man Simmons" at a young age. When he did marry, his wife of three months was diagnosed with breast cancer and passed away two years later. He grieved until he was 41 and eventuallyremarried to a pretty doe-eyed woman named Jenna.

Arnold and Helga grew old together, spending all the rest of their days together as in love as they were at 29. Arnold never forgot how it had made him feel that first time she had told him she loved him and clung to that feeling all the way to age 93, when old age would finally take him.

Helga never forgot the way she had felt all those years ago when she had finally opened her heart up to Arnold. After nearly 30 years of building walls around herself, it felt good to let her guard down, destroy the walls, and to love and be loved in return. She loved Arnold until the day he died and passed on herself a mere three days later.

But even in death, there was a place for them. A warm, tall-grass meadow where they met again as the young adults they had once been. The ground was soft, the flowers bloomed continually, and Arnold and Helga knew and understoodthat love did indeed overcome all obstacles. They held each other while lying in the fragrant grass and walked together in the cool of the day. And they did dwell in that place of love and perfection all the rest of eternity.

**The End**


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